The Plot
A complete list of all threads and prose in chronological order can be found here . __TOC__ Part One: Speculatrix et Martyr Natasha Romanoff and John Constantine meet when she breaks into his apartment in an attempt to get him as a consultant for the Delta Green Initiative. At first, he refuses, but later agrees after Natasha gains his trust by exorcising one of the Furies from his body. This is the first time ever since the events of Four Lies that Natasha's True Seeing and active Synchronicity become unrepressed and in the following months the experiences become more and more frequent. Stormcrow returns after a long absence and makes amends with Natasha, who is currently living with his twin, Lilly. Lilly, in the meantime, resumes a loose affair with Balthazar until her supposdely dead fiancee, the Master, returns. John, in the meantime, meets Jim Moriarty under an alias, though he quickly figures out there's something more to it. Despite their rough beginnings, the two form an unlikely relationship. Part Two: Hell Is Empty (The Synchronicity Spiral) The Archangel Raphael comes back to Earth using the body of Clint Barton as a vessel. Despite his cold reception, his news is dire: Lucifer has quit, leaving Hell wide open and anarchy that has started to spread onto this plane. During this time, Nat continues to learn the art of fighting Demons with John's help. Still, she finds little to no information on her strange ability to "see the strings" other than vague information that The Twins give. After meeting John's younger self, Nat goes to their mutual enemy Balthazar, taking him up on an offer to show her what those powers actually are, and for him to leave John alone. In return, her soul is his upon death. Before meeting with Balthazar though, Nat finds Stormcorw again and somewhat rekindles their relationship, also making sure she gets out of Midnite's (where Balthazar will take her to be "unlocked") without being under the Demon's control. He ends up teaming up with Midnite and The Corinthian to "pull" Natasha out of the Synchronicity Highway and hide her in The Dreaming long enough to allow her to break herself: her psyche splitting into Persona and Subconscious in order to deal with her new abilities and heal from the overload of information. Unable to deal with Natasha in her unsynched state, John flees Los Angeles in favor of London. Meanwhile, Nat's emotionless persona protects her and she gives some people insights about the various fates she still remembers from her trip on the Highway. Notable conversations include both Raphael and Loki. Her conversation with the latter (now in his female form) regarding his knowledge of the Red Room shake the Ancient God. John does visit Natasha once, his upset state causing the woman to "reveal" herself to him, risking the vert well-being of her psyche. In the few minutes she has before having to lock herself up again, she manages to tell Constantine about the deal with Balthazar. This conversation, along with the one had with Loki, begin to awaken her somehow. Her psyche starts mending. Jim and John, due to a magic!anon, are married. Chloroform is involved. John isn't very happy. Neo, tech god of the DGI, in the meantime, wanders outside in worry for his boss (Natasha) whom he knows as Widow. He briefly meets Lazarus Holmes, a Sirenic Incubus who runs a Free House known as Calypso's Cradle and Call, an auton girl from the future whose ship has just crash landed on Earth. Part Three: The Sin Is Pride Balthazar contacts Jim, planning to hurt John indirectly by damaging their relationship. After a tryst in a London alleyway, however, the half-breed and the Criminal realize they have more in common than they think, and a dangerous play of mind-games and camaraderies begins between the two. However, after this first encounter Jim attempts to kill himself, feeling guilty and wanting to protect John from Balthazar's schemes. This happens just as Natasha pulls herself back together. She manages to contact John and Lazarus, the three managing to convene at the latter's family home (Sanctuary) in Venice. After receiving ominous texts from an overdosing Jim, Lazarus enlists his relatives to teleport John and Natasha back to London. They discover Jim in John and Jim's shared flat: as the ambulance arrives, Moriarty tells the truth to John, who vows revenge. Balthazar gets magic!anoned into his human form. He meets with Jim Moriarty and gets, somehow, invited out for dinner. Insight about both of the men's past is revealed: mainly about Jim's early violent tendencies and the fact that Balthazar played a crucial point in the betraying of Christ to the Romans. They meet again, and Balthazar, now back in his Demon form, offers himself as a sacrifice when he learns that Jim is struggling with The Noise. Meanwhile, Balthazar teams up with the fallen muse Azrael and they start wiping out whoever might intercede with the demon's plan to overrun Earth and, possibly, also reign in Hell. Thanks to his informant, Percy (Azrael's wife), Balthazar discovers, amongst other things, that one Detective Constable Jane Doe is investigating the murders, and takes note. Jane Doe takes note of him, too, and has the fortune (or misfortune) of also meeting two Archangels. The first, the former Angel of Death known as Izrial (an embalmer who currently shares a flat with Duma, Angel of Silence, Robin Goodfellow, the trickster fae better known as Puck, and the Celtic God Cerrunnos) has spent the last two thousand years on Earth. Recognizing Balthazar as Judas Iscariot and that the mysterious string of suicides that has been terrorizing the city probably aren't suicides, he agrees to meet Doe later to discuss it further. Before he can, however, the second Archangel makes his appearance in the form of Raphael, who bumps into Jane at a crime scene of one of these aforementioned apparent suicides. His approach is that of a socially inept Archangel with Pride issues: he insults and threatens Jane, and denounces the dead as damned due to their apparent way of dying. When he resists arrest, Doe is hurt and Raphael is shot, rendering him unconcious. Izrial in the meantime meets Sam Winchester, who is currently functioning as a vessel for Lucifer. He reveals that he intends on taking over Earth, too, and that he has "killed" Michael. He receives a hysterical phone call from a hurt Jane, who passes out while talking to him. He enters undetected into the holding cell Raphael and the policewoman are in, revealing himself as an Archangel and healing Jane. Enraged, she hits Raphael: this is the final straw, and the Archangel of the Blind loses his mind completely and gives into Pride and Wrath, swearing he will prove to his brother how "undeserving the sons of Adam truly are" and that he will give humans the redemption they deserve, "forged in fire and blood and Pain". He and Izrial leave and go back to his apartment, while Azrael tricks Jane into believing he is John Constantine and that Izrial is a Demon pretending to be an Angel. He brainwashes her and forces her to go back home, leaving her phone behind. Peter, an undercover half-breed Angel in the London Police, informs that Jane has been marked with Judas Iscariot's symbol. Izrial hurries to her aide while Cerrunnos hunts down the fallen muse. In the meantime, Loki breaks into Natasha's London flat. Revealing he is wallowing in guilt for what he's done, he drunkedly apologizes to Romanoff for having done nothing to stop the Red Room project, although he witnessed it all. They start becoming friends, and Natasha decides to take Loki out for drinks. The God is also contacted by Ciaran, who offers to hunt with him: their prey would be Azrael. Loki accepts. Azrael moves onto his next target: Raphael. He tricks him into believing that his brother has gone to bed with Jane. This enrages the Archangel even more. Part Four: The Third War Natasha meets Francis Lupo, an ex DGI agent who's been sent on behalf of SHIELD to help her solve the murder cases and make some light in a generally fucked up situation. Jim, his mind now silenced, has an epiphany and a spiritual experience. He elevates Balthazar to his new God. Things don't look too good.